#yes i modified the esther thing in because i think its fun. sue me

[desertbroad]

misc. massive headcanon write-up : tvtropes edition. aka some things from fallout: new vegas’ tvtropes page that felt kaj relevant. from here !

1) “ The unique Fatman in Gun Runners Arsenal is called Esther. [...] Esther, much like Gehenna, are named after Hebrew Bible concepts. Esther, both the name of a book in said bible, and the name of the Persian queen of Jewish descent, who helped prevent a Jewish genocide, by convincing the Persian king to allow the Jews to arm and defend themselves. This ended with the death of 75,000 Persians. ”

a/n: kaj parallels a modern esther, having prevented slaughter of her own—or at least, having misdirected it. also ironic, as her nickname in canter was esther due to her bratty, “queenly” demeanor. that said, despite her big personality, kaj is definitely not a fatman user. so it’s even more ironic that they share a name.

2) “ In Vault 11, the vault mainframe tells you that while being a martyr isn't as fun as driving a race car, it's every bit as important. The thing is, driving a race car isn't important at all, and neither is being a martyr. ”

3) “ In Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, blood packs heal 1 hit point per pack. In 3, you can get a perk from the leader of blood-consuming people which increases the hp gain to 20. Why do blood packs heal so little hp, when blood transfusions can save people from the brink of death sometimes? Because the player actually drinks the blood instead of replenishing his/her lost blood from an injury. [...] Which drifts into Fridge Logic again when you consider the fact that, after 200 years at least, the blood in those packs has certainly expired no matter what kinds of advances the US had made in preservation technologies. With this taken into account, the Sole Survivor injecting the blood into his veins would do more harm than good. Drinking it would actually be more helpful, which makes sense considering that a high medicine Courier would certainly be aware of the expiration date of blood and the concept of a blood transfusion. ”

4) “ If you take a look at Caesar's SPECIAL stats you will find out that he only ranks 4 in both charisma and intelligence. It first seem like Fridge Logic since he is supposed to be extremely charismatic and possess super intellect. But after you find out that he is suffering from a brain tumor, it makes sense that his skills were being affected as a result of it. Additionally, he acts extremely rude to the Courier, and trusts them, and only them, to deal with a problem, without any way of preventing the Courier from undermining and/or sabotaging his plans. ”

a/n: though kaj prides herself on her manipulation of caesar, it wasn’t really a manipulation at all—just an appeal to his baser instincts that only paid off because of his illness. if he was completely well, it’s waaaaaay more likely he’d see her manipulation for what it is. kaj herself even seems somewhat aware of the precariousness of her position, given her cautious actions around him and unwillingness to vie for more power. it makes sense that she starts trying to take him down from day one, knowing his history with anyone he sees as his equal—aka, a threat. she speeds up the process when she meets joshua graham and realizes exactly what’ll happen if she fails. further elaborated on by the legion ending: “ In the Legion Ending, when the Courier receives his/her reward, she's kneeling before Caesar, but standing before Lanius (if he ends up in charge). This seems odd before you realise it sums up your relationship with character: no matter your competences, Caesar will always see the Courier as a servant/inferior, whereas Lanius sees you as an equal and acknowledges the Courier's worth even if she's a woman. ”

5) “ The two Jokers in the deck, Benny and the Courier, have those cards for more reasons than just being the Wild Cards. First, in Euchre, the Joker is called the "Benny" card. Second, the Joker cards in Tarot have significant meaning, one Joker meaning the Fool, the other the Magician. The Fool, being the Courier, is the spirit in search of experience (although XP might be a better word for it), and represents mystical cleverness, not bound by normal reason, and possessing an ability to tune into the inner workings of the world, and is often represented by a wanderer walking aimless, often one foot hanging over a void, a step away from falling to his death. Meanwhile, the Magician, being Benny, is a man who practices sleight of hand, trickery, and deception, a stage magician with the initial appearance of great power, but later revealed to have no ability of his own, and can also indicate a manipulator, a trickster, and the ego, as well as the pursuit of personal power, and is often associated with the first step in the Fool's Journey, as well as the potential for new adventure. ”

6) “ Why is the courier consistently insulted by legionnaires regardless of what they do for them? To serve as a reminder that they don't necessarily need you. The legion offers you few side quests, most of which are just minor preparations before the battle, because they don't need you to do those for you. In comparison the NCR has a significant amount of side quests including training troops, fixing equipment, rooting out spies, exterminating extra problems like the fiends, and reclaiming territory from the legion. Result: by the end the NCR sees you as a true hero which would lead to them being incredibly polite, to the legion you're just a guy who's quite good at fighting, so they have little reason to treat you as anything more than a very good mercenary. ”

7) “ The Wizard of Oz analogy (in Old World Blues) goes further. In the movie, Dorothy's companions each wanted certain qualities, namely a brain, a heart, and courage. In the game, the surgery done to the courier removes their brain, their heart, and their spine. Stupid people are called brainless, unemotional/uncaring people are often said to be heartless, and cowardly people are often referred to as being spineless. Not to mention the similarity in the methods of arrival to the Big MT and Oz the characters went through. Just like in the movie, the Courier realizes that in spite of their missing organs, they have the qualities they needed all along: it takes a heart to befriend the Stealth Suit, a spine to repeatedly brave the dangerous X-8 facility, and a brain to outwit the Think Tank once and for all. ”

8) “ Why are there no long haired options for the Courier? You're in a desert. Long hair would be rather impractical, especially being a courier. You were also very recently shot in the head. It stands to reason that Doc Mitchell might have trimmed your hair, if it was long before the game started, to make operating easier. Also, long hair is a bad idea if you plan on fighting. If you have long hair, it becomes easier to grab it. The world being what it is, quite a few pragmatists are likely to be around. ”

a/n: inverted trope. though native american culture has been forcibly distorted over the years by white imperialism, kaj’s family has still managed to hang onto some old world traditions, such as the styling and care of hair. as a result, kaj’s hair is extremely culturally significant to her even as an adult. she wears it long as a choice, and it is only cut against her will by the think tank (when normally it would only be cut while she was in mourning; and though she does mourn afterwards, it doesn’t erase the fact that it’s forced on her, not chosen). meanwhile, doc mitchell is considerate enough of these traditions and culturally aware enough to leave her hair alone and, given the placement of her bullet wound, cutting it is not entirely necessary regardless. the cutting of kaj’s hair in old world blues (as well as the violation of her bodily autonomy) is traumatic and painful for her, paralleling real life cultural assimilation—when it grows back out, she is extremely protective of it.

9) “ If you ask No-Bark Noonan if anyone has been acing strangely, he states that he doesn't trust anyone who acts too normal, and his description fits Clanden to a tee. No-Bark: If a man's wearing his pants on his head or if he says his words backwards from time to time, you know it's all laid out there for you. But if he's friendly to strangers and keeps his home spick-and-span, more often than not he's done something even his own ma couldn't forgive. ”